1. The aim of this exercise is to produce interview data on students' experiences of studying and thus to experience some of the problems of asking questions and understanding answers in an unstructured interview.

(a) The workshop should be divided into groups of three or four.

(b) Each group should draw up a short topic guide for unstructured interviews with other students. Focus on a specific aspect of experience (for example, reasons for coming to university, financial problems, reactions to lectures and classes) and work out some questions.

(c) Each group should choose an interviewer, an interviewee and one or two observers.

(d) The interviewer should interview the interviewee using the topic guide. The observer should write down as much as they can of what the interviewee says. Then change roles, and do another interview.

(e) Compare the two interviews and discuss what you have found out. Consider the language of the questions. What do these take for granted? How far is the interviewer sharing understandings with the interviewee? How could the interview be improved?

(a) How would you characterise the relationship between interviewer and respondent?

(b) What does this interview tell us about what has happened to Joanna and her child? Construct a list of key themes relating to this and say which segments of talk illustrate each theme.

(c) What does this interview tell us about the person Joanna wants to be, and about the child that she wants Jared to be? Construct a list of key themes relating to this and say which segments of talk illustrate each theme.